


Together In Russia

by orphan_account



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Anastasia Fusion, Anime, Boy x boy, Canon Gay Character, Canon Gay Relationship, Canon Relationships, Gay, I'm Bad At Tagging, Japan, M/M, Russia, Yuri on Ice - Freeform, tagging is so difficult im going to add more later, travelling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2017-08-25
Packaged: 2018-12-08 03:34:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11638089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The lost prince Yuuki was deemed dead after his palace was burned and his family fled to Russia. On what would have been his twenty fourth birthday, a rumour that he's still alive and remains in Tokyo was spread all over the globe. His mother puts up a reward for him, 800000 roubles for the people who bring her son to her in Saint Petersburg.Victor Nikiforov, a Russian conman with a twisted past, seises this opportunity and drags his close friend Yuri Plisetsky to Japan, where they plant find the lost prince Yuuki...or at least a look alike they can fool the royal family with. They find Yuuri, an orphaned Japanese man who has a striking resemblance to Yuuki too amazing to ignore. They pull a few strings and soon the three of them, and Makkachin the dog, are on their way to Russia.Or Victor is a sly conman, Yuuri doubts and Yuri just wants to see his lover again.(also otayuri)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Updates every Friday. 
> 
> Enjoy.

The Katsuki family had ruled Japan for decades. They were loved greatly by their subjects for they were goodhearted and fair. The children were especially loved- little Yuuki and his older sister Mari. They were happy children, playful and close to their parents. Yuuki was especially close to his mother, Hiroko. They would spend their summers together, Yuuki running around the gardens with his mother keeping a keen eye on him.

Unfortunately, not everyone loved the Katsuki family. A power hungry group of men were lurking in the shadows, waiting to move their first pawn and ruin them. They saw their chance on the fiftieth anniversary of their rule when a grand party was to be held. People from all over Japan were travelling to their palace to attend. It was the perfect opportunity to cause some chaos. 

Yuuri and his mother danced the night away, the twelve year old constantly tripping over her feet but her not minding. Yuuki was giddy with happiness and Hiroko found it adorable. She twirled him one final time before guiding him to her throne. 

"I have something for you." She whispered, making Yuuki's brown eyes widen in excitement. She reached behind a cushion and pulled out a round trinket box. It was the same shade of the ocean on a summer's day and had gold engraved around the sides. Little Yuuki grinned toothily and took it into his hands. 

"It's a trinket box, you can put all of your favourite things inside of it." Hiroko said gently. 

"How does it open?" Yuuki asked curiously. His mother smiled softly and pulled out a small necklace. Dangling from the golden chain was a small, spherical charm shaped like a flower. Hiroko placed it onto of the trinket box where there was a small dip and slowly the box opened. Inside was padded with cream coloured velvet and a mirror on the roof. Yuuki giggled gleefully and clutched the music box to his chest. Hiroko then pulled out a matching necklace and draped it around his neck. He fiddled with the charm on the necklace, reading the engraved words on it, 'Together in Russia'. Hiroko knew how much her son wanted to visit Russia, and someday they would. 

"Now we match." She laughed. 

A few hours later when Yuuki had to be put to bed, Hiroko smelled something burning. It smelled stronger than the fireplace. She didn't mention it to her son, not wanting to frighten him, and put him to bed. By the time he was in his pyjamas and ready to be tucked in, it had been fifteen minutes since her suspicions were aroused. 

"Sleep well, Yuuki." She whispered before gently kissing his forehead and going to the door. Before she can open it, she hears the servant's door to the room burst open and heavy breathing. Standing in the hidden doorframe is a scrawny boy with snow white skin and flowing silver hair. He was clearly a foreigner. 

"Fire." He heaved out through his coughs. Hiroko gasped and immediately scooped Yuuki into her arms. The trinket box fell from his hands and onto the floor. 

"This way, it's quicker." The servant boy instructed them, holding the door to the servants' passage to the back of the castle. Hiroko rushed out with Yuuki clutched to her chest, panicking and whining. The servant boy quickly scooped the trinket box up and stuffed it into his pocket before running after them. 

The rest of the night was a blur. Hiroko and Yuuki heard word that the rest of their family was catching a train so they desperately found their way to the train station. People were pushing and yelling for them to get to the train but it slowly began to move. Yuuki had been set onto the ground so they could move faster but it wasn't enough. 

Their subjects were desperately trying to push them onto the train but it just kept on gaining speed. Eventually a burly man picked up Hiroko and ran with her until she was dumped onto the stairs of the train. Yuuki, however, had let his tiredness get to him and fell to the train tracks. 

He was left in Japan, rumoured to be dead.


	2. Yuri + Yuuri

Yuri was hesitant to come to Japan for two reasons. One, he'd have to leave his lover and two, there was no way the prince Yuuki was alive. Everyone knows that he didn't make it onto the train that fateful night and he probably just starved to death in some ditch.

"Think about it, Yuri," Victor had said before they started their journey to Japan, "if we find this boy we'll be rich! Just think about the reward!" He's right, the reward is bountiful. 800,000 roubles shared between the two of them would leave him loaded for the rest of his life.

"I know that Otabek's struggling with finding a job and we're low on income as it is. C'mon, this is our chance!" One mention of Otabek and Yuri was climbing onto that train with determination evident on his face.

And that's how he ended up wandering around Japan with a grumbling stomach, trying to find somewhere to stay.

"We did not think this through." He mutters moodily as Victor is rejected by yet another couple. Not knowing a word of Japanese didn't help their situation at all, they were having to badly mime to the citizens of Tokyo. It's a big city and they're completely lost.

"This will all be worth it in the end." Victor says, trying to remain positive. He grips the frail scarf tied around his neck and scans the city again. The sun is beginning to set and when that happens, they'll be more screwed than they already are.

"Come on, let's just go back to the train station and wait until morning to find accommodation." Yuri whines, already turning to head back in the direction he came from. He only manages to go a few steps before he hears Victor gasp and chuckle. Rolling his eyes, Yuri turns on his heels and watches as he rushes up to a old and rusted gate with creepers growing all around the bars. He then stops a man passing by and asks, "Katsuki?". The man nods before hurriedly moving on. Victor claps his hands together.

"You hear that, Yuri? Katsuki! Their old home, right through that gate." He rejoices. Yuri stares at the large gate, trying to see through the intricate metal swirls but to no avail.

"I thought you would have recognised it." He comments. Fondly, his partner smiles and looks at the gates.

"It's been over a decade since I've been in Japan. I've forgotten the language, the city and even my once home." He says. Yuri rolls his emerald green eyes and shakes his head.

"You forgot because you're an old man." He sneers.

"Shut up and help me break in." Victor approaches the gate, rubbing his cold hands together.

And so they set to work.

-

Yuuri never thought goodbyes could be happy until now. Don't get him wrong, he loves the younger kids with all of his heart but there's something so amazing about leaving the orphanage.

"You're lucky I have connections and found you that paper job in the next town over." Hana, the moodiest of the orphanage workers, grumbles as she walks him to the front gate.

"I'm grateful but you know I won't be staying in Japan for much longer." Yuuri begins, pulling out his necklace from under his jumper. Hana scowls and forcefully grabs it, pulling it closer for her to read the writing on the back.

"Ah yes, 'Together in Russia'. You were found with it and haven't taken it off since." She complains. Yuuri jogs to keep up with her as they continue down the long pathway.

"It's the only clue to where my family could be, of course it's dear to me. I don't remember anything from my past but this necklace could provide me with all the answers." He fantasises. Hana rolls her eyes and complains about him until they reach the gate. She unlocks it, shoves him out and immediately slams it shut.

"Just remember; you will always be little orphan Yuuri." She cackles like a witch before returning down the pathway. Yuuri sighs and turns away from the gate. He sighs again.

Snow. Five inches deep. Of course he just had to be set free during the cold months.

He trenches through it determinedly for the first fifteen minutes, giddy from his newfound freedom and ignoring the way the snow makes his worn out shoes soggy. Despite the biting cold the sun is shining down on him and there are birds chirping. Everything is quite pleasant until Yuuri's path forks off into two, one going left and the other going right. According to the wooden sign in the middle of the two paths, the left road is going to next town over, where his new job with the newspaper company is situated, and the right road leads to Tokyo. 

He stops and thinks. If he goes left he'll be condemned to a boring life of selling newspapers and maybe never find his family. If he goes right he'll be starting a new life in the big city, completely independent and free. Option one is clearly the safer thing to do but Tokyo sounds so promising. 

Yuuri sighs and sits down on a huge rock that barely pokes out from the snow. He raises his gloved hands to the dark sky and yells, "Newspapers or Tokyo? Send me a sign!" He looks around, desperate for anything to indicate left or right but nothing appears.

"Anything!" He calls again. He waits a few moments but nothing happens. Yuuri groans and rests his face in his hands. 

Then he hears it. Excited barking and yipping coming from a huge pile of snow in front of him. Yuuri frowns and stares at it. The pile moves, much to his surprise, and moves toward him. Yuuri yelps and jumps back, nearly falling off the rock. A small, black nose pokes out from the white snow and then a long, brown snout. The nose sniffs the chilly air before revealing itself, a huge poodle with matted, brown fur. His tail is long and it wags back and forth like a metronome. The dog bounds forward and jumps onto Yuuri.

"Woah!" He gasps as the dog begins to lick every inch of his face with his wet tongue. Something about the dog makes Yuuri stop and stare at him. He faintly remembers playing with a poodle in his past. Yuuri pushes him off his lap and wipes his face with his sleeve.

"Where's your owner, pup?" He asks as the animal chases his poofy tail. Yuuri stands and Pup barks at him.

"What?" He asks. Pup bounds through the powdery snow to the right path and sits there patiently. Yuuri frowns and crosses his arms across his chest expectantly.

"Are you my sign?" He asks with a laugh. Pup barks again and wags his tail. Yuuri smiles at him and shrugs.

"Okay then." He laughs, not quite believing that he's letting a dog dictate the rest of his life. "Maybe we can find your owner, too."

Grinning, Yuuri marches down the road to Tokyo with his newfound friend at his side. Even if this dog is playing tricks on him, he won't be in Japan for long. He's already planning how to get to Russia and how he'll finally find his family.


	3. Yuuri + Yuri

Things aren’t going as smoothly as Yuuri planned. For starters, he’s been sleeping on a bench outside the train station for the past week, living off the scraps and pennies he finds. He doesn’t have the heart to steal so he ends up scavenging like a street rat. Luckily the snow melted away so he won’t freeze to death. If he was still trudging through the snow he’d have no chance of finding dropped money.

Yuuri grins when he finds the last coin. Finally, three thousand yen- just enough to get him on the next train to Russia! He whoops with joy when he finishes counting and Pup barks along with him. Yuuri pats his leg gently, signifying he wants the dog to walk by his side, and he proudly marches into the train station.

The train station is busy like usual, with workpeople bustling to get to their trains and stationmasters announcing when the next trains will arrive or leave. Yuuri pushes his way through the myriad of people until he finds himself at the end of the line for the ticket booth. It’s relatively long but Yuuri is willing to wait. He finds himself nervously bouncing on his heels and grinning like an idiot. He’s been waiting for this moment since he showed up at the orphanage as a twelve year old.

“One ticket to Russia.” Yuuri says confidently once he reaches the booth. The workman is big and burly but he doesn’t find him intimidating. The man cocks an eyebrow and nods down at Pup.

“You’re taking the mutt?” He asks. Yuuri wants to scold him for calling his companion a ‘mutt’ but he simply shakes his head.

“He’s not mine.” The words make Yuuri sad and he feels a pit of dread pool in his stomach. During the past week, Pup has been a good friend. He acted as a blanket during the cold nights and listened contently when Yuuri started talking absentmindedly, only offering a few content grumbles and whimpers as reply. Yuuri will be sad to see him go but he knows Pup needs to get back to his rightful owner.

“Right. Exit visa?” The man asks. Yuri’s eyes widen and he bites his chapped lips nervously.

“Oh yeah, exit visa.” He laughs nervously, “I don’t have one.” The man frowns.

“No exit visa, no ticket. Next!” He spits and Yuuri is forced to leave the queue. His mouth hangs open in shock and he’s left looking like a stupid fish. He needs an exit visa? But it’ll take months to get one! Pup seems to sense his pain because he whines and nudges Yuuri’s hand with his wet nose.

“Psst, psst!” Someone behind Yuuri mutters. Slowly, he turns around and finds the owner of the voice is an old woman with a haggard appearance. She beckons him over.

“Victor can get you a ticket.” She hisses. Yuuri’s eyes light up and he grins. This woman is a saint!

“Where can I find Victor?” He whispers back. The woman looks around anxiously before leaning close to his ear.

“The old Katsuki palace.” The name ‘Katsuki’ makes him freeze. It feels warm and soft, it feels right. Before he can ponder on why Katsuki makes him feel this way, he remembers he just zoned out mid conversation and must look strange. He snaps back into reality and looks down to thank the old woman only find that she had vanished.

An hour later and Yuuri is standing outside the old Katsuki palace with a nervous smile on his face. The gates are secured shut by the thick creepers growing in front of them so that rules out his only option. He inspects the bars, hoping to find a gap large enough for him to squeeze through.

Suddenly he hears a loud bark in the distance. He looks to his right and finds Pup crouching by a large hedge before running through it. Yuuri gasps and sprints towards him. That might not be the Katsuki garden, it could be a stranger’s.

“Get back here!” Yuuri hisses once he reaches the hedge. Instead of finding Pup, he finds a dog shaped hole. Through it he can see a pair of brown paws. Groaning in discomfort, he gets down onto his knees and crawls through the hole.

Yuuri finds himself in an overgrown garden. The surrounding hedges look like they haven’t been trimmed in years, they tower over him like giants. Yuuri spots a wagging tail disappears behind a bush and he darts after him.

“Get back here!” He yells as he chases after his dog. Pup barks joyfully and leads him into a circular clearing with a large tree in the centre. It looks decades old, with an ancient swing hanging from one of its branches. The sight makes Yuuri stop and stare. The familiar tree makes him feel sad, as if he was remembering a childhood he didn’t have. He can’t stare for long though, Pup is on the run again.

Yuuri chases him out of the maze and ends up on the front porch of the palace. The wooden planks are unstable and creak loudly with every step he makes. The cobwebs that hang from the arched canopy give the abandoned palace a creepy look. Yuuri sighs in relief when Pup sits down by the door. Several planks of wood have been hammered over it but there are a few gaps. 

Yuuri then proceeds to groan when Pup jumps through one of the wooden planks.

“If I get arrested for this…” He mutters as he loudly breaks off the planks. Once he has them all off, he slowly steps into the old palace.

He’s immediately taken back by the sight. The atrium is huge, with long and tall windows and a dome ceiling. The carpet is royal blue and the portraits that line the walls show smiling families and beautiful landscapes. But after taking a closer look, Yuuri realises that the windows are smashed, the edges of the carpet are burnt and the portraits are ripped. He’s so taken back by everything, he has to lean against the wall for support. Fuzzy memories come back to him… a young girl playing on the staircase before him… a wonderful ball… a poodle puppy…

Speaking of poodles, Pup is racing up the grand flight of stairs at the end of the atrium. Yuuri manages to compose himself and he races over to him. His scarf untangles from around his neck and it falls down, along with his hat. He nearly trips as he bounds up the stairs but he manages to catch Pup just before he goes up the left or right split set of stairs.

“I can’t believe you.” Yuuri can’t help but to laugh as the dog licks his face and wags his tail.

Suddenly he hears someone behind him yell in a foreign language. 

Oh no.

-

Yuri’s had a rubbish day. He and Victor have had millions of men in, demonstrating how they look just like the Prince Yuuki and how they act like royalty. Well, he thinks that all the applicants were terrible and openly speaks it. Victor, however, is playing nice cop and clapping for every performance.

“Brilliant! We’ll give you a call later.” He exclaims as he blindly crosses the final man’s name off the list. Yuri groans and bangs his head off the table as his partner packs up.

“This was a mistake. It’s been a whole week and we still haven't found the one.” He complains as they go out the door of the theatre. Victor grins widely and pulls a trinket box out of his jacket pocket. He tosses it into the air and catches it again.

“Relax, Yuri. One look of this trinket box and Hiroko will be convinced. We don't even need a good actor.” He says. Sometimes Yuri wonders if his trinket box is really the one that was given to the prince on the night of the fire.

The two walk to the old palace, which is where they’ve been taking refuge for the last week. It’s quite comfortable considering no one has lived there for over a decade. They creep through the back doors to the servants’ quarters, where they then go through the secret passages to the large study. They’re too cautious to light the fire so the palace is cold and dark but apart from that it’s good.

“We could get a good 3000 yen for this.” Victor says as he examines an old candelabra made of pure silver. The whole palace is worth more than the reward for Prince Yuuki, Yuri is sure.

Before Yuri can voice his thoughts, a loud bark echoes throughout the palace. Victor stands and, armed with the candelabra, he creeps out of the study. Yuri follows him with his bag of belongings just in case they need to make a sharp getaway. The pair sneak around the halls in the direction of the barking and end up standing at the stairs left of the landing in the front room.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” Yuri yells in Russian. There, standing on the landing, is a tall, Japanese man with midnight black hair and wide, dark eyes framed with round glasses. He’s wearing a tattered grey shirt with black trousers that look a tad too small on him. His nose is red from the cold and arms are thrown around the neck of a large poodle.

Yuri looks over to Victor, expecting him to take action and yell, but he’s lovestruck. His artic blue eyes are frozen and his pupils are wider than he’s ever seen them. He immediately brushes off his waistcoat and fixes the cuffs of his shirt nervously. Yuri internally groans, he’s absolutely smitten for this pathetic poodle kid.

Speaking of the poodle, he’s struggling against the stranger’s arms and trying to rush towards them. He manages to get loose of his grasp and jumps onto Victor, who grins and laughs. The Japanese man straightens his back and clears his throat.

“Is this your dog?” He asks in shaky English. Nope, not Victor’s dog.

“Yes, this is, um, this is Makkachin.” Victor lies helplessly. Yuri can now see the stranger’s full appearance and takes it in. Something about him seems so familiar but he can’t place his finger on it.

Victor walks down the stairs and gently shakes the Japanese man’s hand.

“My name is Victor Nikiforov. You know English, yes?” He introduces himself. The Japanese man nods.

“Just the basics, not much. I’m Yuuri.” He says with a polite nod. Yuri scans his face, his round nose and slightly plump cheeks. He’s positive he’s saw that face before.

“So, you live here in Tokyo?” Victor asks, trying to spark a conversation. Yuuri shrugs but doesn’t take his eyes off the Russian.

“I’ve been here for a week. I grew up in an orphanage and I just left recently.” He says quietly. Then it clicks.

This Yuuri looks exactly like the lost Prince Yuuki.

“Well, I’m free at eight tonight if you want to-“ Yuri drags Victor away before he can finish his proposal.

“Hey! What was that for?” Victor grumbles, switching back to Russian. Yuri looks him dead in the eye and says, “We found him.” The older male frowns.

“What?” He inquires. Yuri rolls his eyes and groans.

“Are you too lovestruck to see that this guy looks exactly like Yuuki?” He complains. Victor is silent for a few moments before his eyes widen and he whispers a curse. Suddenly he turns around, dashes down the stairs and runs around the front room trying to find a portrait of Yuuki.

“Is he alright?” Yuuri asks quietly. Yuri snorts. In a matter of minutes Victor is holding an old, framed photograph of the prince Yuuki up to their new friend. The resemblance is uncanny.

“He has the father’s eyes.” Yuri observes. Victor picks up one of Yuuri’s sleek hands and contributes, “And the mother’s hands.” He retracts his hand and holds it to his chest.

“Excuse me?” He asks anxiously. Victor leans against the banister and smiles.

“Yuuri, do you know about what people have been saying about the prince Yuuki?” He asks. The Japanese man nods, “They say he’s alive and in Tokyo. There’s a huge reward for him.”

“How old are you?”

“24.”

“How old where you when you turned up at the orphanage?”

“12. Why?”

Victor grins and claps his hands together. “Yuuki would be 24, the palace fire was when Yuuki was 12!”

“You, my lovely Yuuri, are Yuuki!” He exclaims, holding Yuuri’s cheeks in his hands. Makkachin barks excitedly. He steps back and shakes his head.

“No. There is no way I'm him.” Yuuri protests.

“Even if you’re not him, we can try.” Yuri speaks in English for the first time, his words laced with a thick accent, “If all fails we can stay in Russia, I can get back to my lover, Victor can get back to conning the locals, and you can do whatever. You came here for a ticket to Russia, yes?” Yuuri nods.

“To find my family.” He clarifies. Yuri nods.

“Your family could be the royal one.” He points out.

Yuuri is silent for a moment before he nods again.

“Alright then, I’ll pose as Yuuki as long as you get me to Russia.” He says. Victor grins and hands him a ticket that says, “TOKYO TO OMA” in bold letters.

“We leave at sunrise.”


	4. Victor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update tonight!

Yuuri was out like a light as soon as his head hit a pillow. Victor had kindly offered to sleep in the room across from him in case of any intruders.

"I'll be our prince's knight in shining armour." He had said with a hearty laugh.

Victor can't sleep. All the clocks in the palace stopped a long time ago so he has no idea what time it is. With a sigh, he gets up from the dusty bed and slips on his shirt and shoes.

"Shh, don't wake Yuuri." He whispers to Makkachin, when he sees him stirring. The dog gives him a sleepy glare before rolling onto his stomach and snoring.

Victor doesn't like being back in his childhood home. Too many bad memories. He had been washed up in Tokyo after his family had abandoned him. There were too many mouths to feed and the weakest had to go. Victor was lucky to find a job in the palace, considering he only knew a bit of Japanese and was so young. They clothed and fed him but treated him badly.

Victor shivers at the memory of being beaten and clutches his shoulder. He still has a long scar there from being hit one too many times.

He pushes the thought out his mind and trails down the long hall, staring at the family portraits. The Katsukis were so beautiful, inside and out. The other servants didn't treat him kindly but the royal family did. Hiroko always kept an eye out for him, especially when he was young. He smiles gently at a portrait of her sitting on her throne with a little baby Yuuki in her arms.

Victor finds himself in an old study. It's been greatly damaged by the fire, with the desk crumbling and the carpet black with soot. He kicks the books that have fallen from their shelves and coughs from the dust. He remembers getting up early as a child to light the fire in this room. It almost makes him sad to see a once grand place look like such a dump.

His heart drops when he finds a photograph of Yuuki and Mari with burnt and crisp edges lying on the desk. He picks it up and traces the children's faces with his finger. He wonders how Mari reacted when she lost her brother, she wouldn't talk to anyone about it when she arrived in Russia. He wonders if Yuuki, if he really is alive, remembers her. He gently folds the photograph and puts it into his trouser pocket.


	5. Yuuri

"How did you even get these tickets?" Yuuri asks as the three of them make their way towards the train station. Victor taps his nose gently with a mischievous smile.

"We forged them." He whispers. Yuuri rolls his eyes and continues walking.

They woke up early to get the first train to Oma, a town up north. Yuuri was told that it would be a long ride, around ten hours if they were lucky, but he was prepared. He'd do anything to get to Russia, even pretending to be the lost prince Yuuki.

Victor approaches the nearest stationmaster and points at Makkachin and then the train as if to say, "Are dogs allowed on the train?" Yuuri almost laughs when he sees that Yuri has his fingers crossed and an annoyed look on his face. When the stationmaster nods, he groans and glares at the dog.

Excitedly, Victor says something to Makkachin in Russian and pats his head gently. The four of them move through the bustling crowd to their train and board. They find a small carriage and sit with their bags.

"Ready, Yuuri?" Victor says with a grin as the train begins to move. Yuuri stares at him through the reflection on the window and nods.

Trains seem to be normal for Victor and Yuri, but as far as he knows Yuuri's never been on one. He keeps his hands on the glass and stares in wonder as the train passes rows of houses and blocks of buildings. When he sees a group of children playing with marbles on a road, his heart grows heavy and his smile fades. He can't help but to wish that he's had a carefree childhood like these kids.

"So, why did you even want to come to Russia in the first place?" Yuri tears him from his thoughts. Yuuri turns to him and pulls his necklace out from under his grey shirt and holds the pendant out for them to see.

"This was the only thing I had when I showed up from the orphanage. 'Together in Russia', it must be a clue to where my family is." He explains. From the corner of his eye, he sees Victor's eyes sadden and his hand move to cover a lump in his pocket.

"There's more proof that you could be Yuuki." Yuri says. Yuuri frowns and puts his necklace back under his shirt.

"Look at me, I'm no prince." He grumbles. Victor swoops in and takes his hand in his own. He tilts Yuri's chin up so their eyes meet.

"Yuuri, you may not have been raised as a prince but you have a heart of gold and the face of a god, things only royalty could have. Even if you don't have a drop of blue blood in you, you will always be a prince to us." He whispers. Yuuri's face turns bright red as Victor gently presses his cold lips to his hand.

"Disgusting!" Yuri shrieks before throwing a bag at Victor, effectively making him crash into the window.

"Says you." The older Russian hisses, now in a bad mood. Yuri doesn't understand what he means by this but he laughs quietly. The two Russians huff and turn away from each other. Makkachin whines at all the noise and rests his head on Yuuri's lap.

The four of them sit in silence before they hear a loud voice say, "Tickets!" in Japanese. Yuri feels responsible to give the English translation, which he does. Yuri frowns and stands up, peering out of their carriage. He says something in Russian which makes Victor gasp and cry, "You kiss your mother with that mouth?"

"My mother's dead, you know that." Yuri grumbles as he checks his tickets. "Everyone's tickets is in blue ink, yes?" Victor and Yuuri check and nod.

"Victor, you are the biggest idiot I've ever met. Did you even check to see what colour the tickets were written in before forging ours?" Yuri spits. Victor's face falls.

"Don't tell me they changed it back to red."

Yuri nods sharply before picking up his bags. Victor does the same but takes Yuuri's as well.

"What do we do?" Yuuri asks as they leave the carriage with Makkachin trailing after them. Victor takes his hand and he doesn't protest.

"Don't worry." Is all he says as they go in the opposite direction of the ticket collector. Yuri scouts ahead of them and disappears through a door before poking his head back out and whispering, "In here."

"Isn't exactly first class but it'll do." Victor says as they rush through the door. He's right, the luggage department isn't where Yuuri pictured he'd be sitting on his first train ride. There aren't even any windows for him to peer out of, just stacks and stacks of bags and cases. Makkachin audibly whines.

"We can build a fort." Victor laughs as he closes the door.

"Yeah, you do that." Yuri says with a roll of his eyes.

Yuuri slumps down onto a stranger's suitcase and rests his hands in his cold hands. It's freezing in here, he can almost see his breath puffing out in front of him.

"You're not going to survive Russia." Yuri scoffs suddenly. Yuuri looks up at him with his eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"What do you mean?" He asks. Yuri sits down in front of him with a smug grin. For the first time Yuuri has the chance to study his features. The Russian's pale skin makes his emerald green eyes stand out and his golden hair falls gracefully down to his chin. One lock is messily braided. His hands are delicate and a flowerlike but Yuuri has a feeling they could easily pound in someone's face. He smells of workshops and led.

"After we get to Olga we need to get all the way to the other side of Russia. Most of the land we'll be travelling through isn't colonised." Yuri says grimly before perking up and pointing his index finger at the ceiling, "Wait, I forgot. It's colonised by bears, there's lots of bears. And wolves, too, wolves are common. Did I mention the _tigers_?" The emphasis on the word makes Yuuri jump. Before he can back away, Victor slings his arm over his shoulder.

"But we survived the journey here so we'll be fine on the way back." He points out. Yuri shakes his head.

"My father was killed my wolves." He says calmly. Victor seems taken back by this but Yuuri is just confused. "My father was the army's Marshal. The Marshal is the highest rank." Yuri's eyes widen.

"Don't scare him. We'll be fine." Victor scolds the boy as he squeezes his shoulder reassuringly.

"If we come across an Amur tiger we'll be far from fine. We should make Yuuri aware of what awaits him. See if he's tough enough."

"Yuri, if you don't shut up I'll feed you to an Amur tiger."

"Can we spend the next nine hours not talking about tigers?"

 


	6. Yuri + Yuuri

"Please tell me you have real tickets this time." Yuuri complains as the four of them approach the ferry. They'd arrived safely in Oma half an hour ago. Next stop, Hakodate.

"Don't worry, we have this all sorted." Victor says with a carefree smile, "It'll only take around two hours to get to Oma and once we get there we'll be staying with my good friend JJ Leroy." Yuri stops in his tracks and shakes his head furiously.

"No way am I staying with that horse faced Canadian." He says through gritted teeth. The last time the two were in the same room it ended with him pounding JJ's skull in before being pulled away by Victor. That was back when they were living in Canada for a few months.

"What's he even doing in Russia?" Yuri asks.

"Something about finding himself in nature." Victor guesses as they approach the ramp to board the ferry. He flashes three tickets to the worker stationed there and they move forward. Yuri tries not to look at the water below them. He shivers at the thought of it.

"You okay, Yuri?" Yuuri asks quietly as they walk. The Russian glares at him and moves on.

"I'm fine, pig." He growls.

The ferry departs fifteen minutes later and Yuri already feels like he's going to throw up. He tries to distract himself by poking fun at Victor's hair and humming along to a song he heard street performers sing but nothing seems to be working. All he can think of is how the boat is rocking from side to side. If Otabek were here, he'd be able to calm him in an instant.

Then he has an idea.

"Yuri, how much to make a telephone call?" He asks suddenly, interrupting the Japanese man's conversation with Victor. He's silent for a moment before replying, "seventy yen?" Yuri nods and stands shakily, trying to find the nearest worker.

"Telephone?" He asks in English to one woman. She nods and points to a sheltered area. Yuri strolls over there and finds a wall with several payphones, none of them in use. He pushes seventy yen worth of coins into the slots and dials a number before lifting the telephone to his ear.

"Hello?" Otabek asks. Yuri sighs contently and leans against the wall. He's missed his voice.

"It's me." He whispers.

"Yuri, I'm going to murder you. You haven't sent me a single letter or even phoned. Not once." Otabek sounds worried. Yuri smiles.

"Sorry, Victor and I have been busy." He apologises.

"So have I. You'll never believe who I'm working for now." Otabek says through the phone. Yuri knows that he's grinning. "Hiroko Katsuki." Yuri whistles lowly.

"Impressive. What're you doing with her?" He asks.

"I interview all the boys brought to her. You know, the ones who're supposedly Yuuki. I ask them questions only the real deal would know." Yuri grins.

"Well, the search will be over soon. Victor and I have found the prince, I'm positive it's him." He says confidently. He hears Otabek breathing stop for a moment and then start again.

"Really? If you get that reward..."

"I know! We'll be able to finally settle somewhere. Kazakhstan, perhaps, I know you miss it there." Otabek is the only person Yuri can comfortably ramble to, even over the telephone. He misses him dearly.

"Wow, okay, yes. Where are you heading? I'll meet you there." Otabek proposes.

"Olga, in the Olginsky District. You'll really get us there?"

"Duh, I miss you. The sooner I see you the better." Otabek says quietly. Yuri's face flushes red. "Besides, I'm down in Vetka for work."

Suddenly a monotone voice is projected through the telephone and Yuri groans. He understands that he only has a limited time to talk to Otabek.

"Listen, I have to go. Love you."

"Love you too. I'll see you in Olga."

-

"Who's JJ?" Yuuri asks when Yuri walks away. He and Victor are sitting on a bench facing the edge of the ferry.

"You haven't heard of him? He's an author from Canada. We met over there a few years ago." Victor explains as he pushes his platinum hair out of his eyes. The wind is blowing it all over the place. "He and Yuri don't get along, to say the least."

"I see." Yuuri says quietly. Victor suddenly stands and walks to the bars that prevent anyone falling into the water. He looks so powerful with his brown coat blowing back from the wind. Yuuri goes and stands next to him.

"I've always loved the ocean." He whispers. Yuuri wants to inform him that his eyes are the same colour as the water but holds back.

"Did you live by a beach when you were young?" He asks curiously. Victor shakes his head gently and grips the bars a little tighter.

"I wish. I worked while I was young." He says shakily. Yuuri gets the vibe that he doesn't want to talk about his past and is glad when Yuri appears. The two turn around to face him. Yuuri can't dismiss the soft smile on his face.

"I've solved our JJ problem." He announces proudly.

"There was no problem." Yuuri hears Victor mutter under his breath, which makes him chuckle.

"Otabek's meeting us in Olga." He boasts. Victor grins and claps his hands together.

"Perfect. He can help." He plans.

"Who's Otabek?" Yuuri asks. Yuri's face turns red and he looks away from them.

"Otabek is Yuri's-" Victor begins.

"Friend." Yuri speedily finishes the sentence for him. "Otabek is my friend." Victor raises his eyebrows but shrugs.

"I'm going to try get some sleep." Yuuri announces suddenly. Yuri stares at him in shock but before he voices his thought, Victor jumps in with, "Good idea. C'mon, you can have my coat as a pillow." The two of them walk over to the bench and Victor places his coat down onto the wooden surface. If he wasn't already wearing his waistcoat, Yuuri would be worried that he'd freeze.

"Thank you." He whispers as he curls up onto the bench with his head resting on the wool fabric. Victor sits on the other side of his coat and strokes his dark hair softly.

"Anything for our prince."


End file.
